Left-wing trolls have taken another swipe at Chick-fil-A, this time accusing the fast-food chain of supporting a supposed Ugandan law that reportedly seeks the death penalty to punish homosexual acts.
The Washington Examiner reported on the background to the hoax:
A high-ranking Ugandan government official recently announced support for instituting the death penalty to punish homosexual acts. This sparked an international outcry and widespread condemnation. However, it’s not actually clear that this brutal law will be implemented. Other government officials have contradicted the official’s account, and it’s unclear whether the anti-gay bill set to be introduced will actually include the death penalty or not.
However, while the actual situation in Uganda is being questioned, left-wing trolls saw in this confusion another opportunity to smear Chick-fil-A.
One Facebook post was shared by The Other 98%, which has over six million followers, reported the Examiner, observing as well that supposed “fact-checkers” Snopes rated the claim as being “mixed” in terms of its truthfulness.
“The National Christian Foundation has funded projects that opposed LGBT rights in Uganda,” Snopes stated, “and the WinShape Foundation, closely linked to Chick-fil-A, has funded the National Christian Foundation.”
But, then, Snopes added:
However, the Ugandan minister did not signal an intent to legalize the murder of LGBT people, and his remarks were quickly contradicted by the government; also, it’s not clear to what extent National Christian Foundation-funded entities were involved in the creation or promotion of a bill to make homosexuality punishable by death.
The Examiner reported a Chick-fil-A spokesperson said, “Chick-fil-A has not supported legislative campaigns of any kind in Uganda.”
Chick-fil-A has been condemned by progressives for its donations to the Salvation Army and other Christian organizations. The left claims the Salvation Army is anti-LGBT and, subsequently, Chick-fil-A has been barred from college campuses, airports, and other venues, because of its donations to Christian organizations such as the Salvation Army.
Ironically, there was no outcry from the left when, in August, tech giant Google announced it donated $1.5 million to the Salvation Army to assist in the charity’s efforts to fight homelessness in San Francisco and San Jose.
In May, the student government at Trinity University, a private, Presbyterian liberal arts college in Texas, voted unanimously to ban Chick-fil-A from its campus.
CBN News reported the students adopted a resolution listing Chick-fil-A’s donations to organizations that they claimed dismissed the rights of LGBT individuals.
According to the resolution, students noted:
Chick-fil-a donated 1.8 million dollars to anti-LGBT+ organizations in 2017, such as the Paul Anderson Youth Home, the Salvation Army, and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, according to their most recent available tax return.
“Trinity is a university that emphasizes its commitment to diversity and inclusion,” the resolution said. “Having Chick-fil-a in the rotation at Revolve conflicts with those values. Trinity’s values of diversity and inclusion and Chick-fil-a’s values regarding the LGBT+ community are mutually exclusive.”
In 2012, Fred Sainz, vice president of communications of LGBT lobbying group the Human Rights Campaign, said his organization is “sending a loud and clear message to Chick-fil-A: we will not rest until your consumers know that you take their money and hand it over to groups that actively work to demonize LGBT people.”
The Salvation Army website states it is “committed to serving the LGBTQ community” by providing food and shelter, job training, substance abuse counseling, and other assistance.
On its website, Chick-fil-A states the company continues to uphold the biblical principles that guided the founding of its business by S. Truett Cathy, and that it has provided financial support to Christian youth organizations and charitable groups, such as the Salvation Army.
Chick-fil-A continues:
While some have questioned the motives behind our donations, we want to take a moment to reiterate the mission and focus of the Chick-fil-A Foundation, which has always been and always will be to donate to programs that support a diverse array of youth and educational programs nationwide. The 140,000 people who serve customers on a daily basis represent and embrace all people, regardless of race, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation or gender identity.
Because of its foundation’s history of giving to Christian organizations, Chick-fil-A had also been blocked at airports in San Antonio and Buffalo.
Despite continued protests and the current hoax, Chick-fil-A is America’s fastest-growing fast food chain brand, according to a July analysis by Goldman Sachs.
The chain more than doubled its sales since 2011, when Chick-fil-A Christian Chairman and CEO Dan T. Cathy voiced support for traditional marriage between one man and one woman.
Results of customer satisfaction company Market Force’s annual survey of “America’s favorite” fast food chains revealed Chick-fil-A received top billing.
In 2018, Chick-fil-A was presented with a Glassdoor Employees’ Choice Award for being among the top 100 best places to work. The restaurant chain was also included in Glassdoor’s Top 100 CEOs.
Chick-fil-A was recognized again in 2018 for customer experience in the Temkin Experience Ratings survey and then named “Best Franchise Brand” by Airport Revenue News. The company was included as well last year in Forbes’ list of best employers and as a National Society of High School Scholars top employer.
In 2016, healthy eating site Eat This, Not That! rated Chick-fil-A’s grilled chicken sandwich as one of the best fast-food sandwiches anywhere for healthy eating.
“Simply put: Order this. Every time,” urged the site. “Made with many natural ingredients we can get behind—such as whole spelt flour, red bell peppers, and fruit juices for sweetness—this is the very best sandwich at Chick-Fil-A, and one of the best fast food sandwiches anywhere.”